Locking hinge or connector



F. I. BOWLING.

LOCKING HINGE 0R CONNECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE 2,1920.

PatentedSept. 2

1921. a SHEETS-SHEET I.

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LOCKING HINGE 0R CONNECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEZ, 1920.v

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LOCKING HINGE 0R CONNECTOR.

' APPLlcATloN FILED 1uNE2, 1920.

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' PatentedSept. 20, 1921.

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o@ UWE/WOR TTRNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS J. DOWLING, F NEW YORK, N. Y.

LOCKING HINGE OB. CONNECTOR.

Application led Julie 2, 1920. Serial No. 386,008.

\ dent of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Locking Hinge 0r Connector, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to builders hardware and has particular reference to hinges or analogous means for connecting one part of a machine or device movably or removably to another.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a hinge or connector comprising two plates, or their equivalent, adapted to be secured to the door and jamb respectively, or their equivalent, and so arranged that, whether the hinge pin is used or not, they will prevent the movement of the door, or its equivalent, in any direction with respect to the jamb except the door be first unlocked so thatit may be swung ormoved in its intended direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary locking device either "as a part 0f the hinge or separate therefrom, the auxiliary device including a plate having an opening and securedto one of the parts, the door or the jamb, and another plate having a head pin which when the movable part V of the device, such as the door, is moved into closed position in the normal manner will enter and interlock in said opening or slot and so prevent all movement of the movable part except in the reverse direction. Another object of the invention is to prevent the opening of ya door or lid as a result of the removal of the hinge pins.

Another object of the invention is to provide va connector for the door or lid of a tool chest or the like which will prevent the opening of the door or lid even though the hinges thereof be removed or detached.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of one form of my invention on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3. l

F ig.`2 is a similar view of the same on the line 2-2.

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation and partial vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line L -1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of a tool box or the like showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional detail on the l1ne 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8 8 of Fig. c. Y

Fig. 9 is a detail view indicating a coinbined connector pin and screw. i

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section on the line 12-12 of- Fig. 11 indicating another form of my improvement applied to a door auxiliary to an ordinary door hinge.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of that form of the invention shown in F ig. l0.

Fig. -12 is a vertical section on the line 12-12 pf Fig. 11.

For convenience of description I shall hereinafter employ the term door to cover any kind of a movable or removable door, lid, cover, or the like ordinarily attached to a relatively stationary part by a hinge or hinges. By the term jamb also I shall mean to cover a door post, jamb, or other part of the structure.I

relatively stationar Referring to the rst set of figures I show a hinge comprising two plates 15 and 16 secured to the door 17 and jamb 1,8 respectively by any usual or well known means and movably attached together by a hinge pin 19 which ordinarily is removable for the purpose of taking the door off the hinges without disconnecting the hinge plates. Auxiliary to the door plate 15 and constituting one ofthe means for attaching the plate 15 to the door' is aplate 20 applied to or against one side of the door. A secondary plate 21 may be applied to or against the opposite side of the door parallel to the plate 20. Screws or similar fasteners 22 are passed Vthrough the plate 21, preferably from the side opposite the hinge pin 19 and coperat-A in with socket pieces 23 countersunk or otherwise ermanently fixed to or in the late 20. his plate may be spoken of as a lind. late inasmuch as it may appear to an unau orized person to be the only plate of the adjacent part of the hin e, but inasmuch as the fastening means or the plate 20 is hidden from the outsider it is impossiblefor him to disconnect the hin 'or connector on the outside of the door. he plate 15 may be secured directly to the door 17 in hn pm 19.

e hinge plate 16 has its auxiliary or blind plate 27 secured, rigidly as by screws 24 thereto. The socket pieces 28 of the blind '29 of the jamb and each of these socket plate 27 are'tted directly into drill holes pieces is provided with a tap ed hole 30 perpendicular to the axis of t e socket (piece and into lwhich a clamping screw 31 is a apted to be driven after first passing through the hinge plate 16. I indicate three of these screws 31 which serve to hold the plate 16 directly to the jamb and coincidentally lock the socket pieces 28 to the jamb, thus mak` posed as to .movement re '55,

ing a most effective anchorage for the hinge plate and blind plate 16 and 27.

The hinge plate 16 is provided with lone or 'more openings or slots 32 substantially simi lar to the opening 25 of the other plate and likewise tapered toward the hinge pin 19. Adjacent to these openings 32 the jamb is provided with cavities 33.

Each of the plates 15 and 16 carries a rigid headed stud the axis of which is substantially perpendicular to such plate, such stud coperatlng with one of the tapered openings or slots in the companion plate. In the form now being described the plate 15 carries two of the studs 34 coperating with v the slots 32, while the plate 16 carries one stud 35 coperating with the slot 25. The larger or Haring end of each4 slot is so disprovde for the free swing or atively of thehead portion of the stud coperating with that particular slot. In other words as will be noted from Fig. 1 with thel door swinging around the axis of the pin 19 the head of the stud 34 will pass freely outward through the larger end of the opening or slot 32, but when in closed position the shank portion of the stud lies nested closely in the smaller end of the slot 32. The same description applies to the studs 35 although as a matter of fact inthe form now being described these studs are stationary and the slots 25 will l pass outward over the heads thereof when the door is swinging open. Thus it will be seen that the studs 34 and 35 will in no manner interfere with the normal swinging of the door on its hinges, but .if the door hinge pins 19 were to be removed in an attempt to take the door oil its hinges or open the door without unlocking it, the studs will prevent relative movement between the door and the jamb in any direction. If the .door be j immied along its hinge line the heads of the studs, as well as the taper thereof, will preventv such attempt. The door could not be shoved inward because this movement would be resisted directly by the studs 35. It could not be `shoved or movedv outward because of the coperation between the studs 34 and the small ends of the slots 32. Obviously the door could not be moved up or down `because of the interlocking action of all of the studs.

In the preferred form of the invention, as

illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the sides of the pins or studs 34 and 35 which contact with the beveled edges or walls of the slots 32 and 25 respectively, are attened, and therefore there is insured a flaty gripping contact between the studs and the plate making it an impossibility for the plates to move relatively outward toward the heads of the studs. I therefore do. not need to' rely upon the heads to prevent the stri ping of the plates over the ends of the stu s.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 8 the door 17 constitutes a box lid or cover having ordinary hinges 36 which are ordinarily applied to the outer surface of the structure and which for this reason are frequently detached in order to'give access by an unauthorized person to the chest without unlocking the door at the lock 37 In this form of my invention the connector is not a structural part of the hinge and is shown as comprising an anchor plate 16a attached to the jamb 18a and arigid stud 34 fixed tothe .plate 15 and having interlocking cogjleratlon with the anchor plate in a slot 32. e anchor plate 16 is so disposed that th'e stud 34 coperates with the slot 32a in exactly the same manner as has already been described in the normal opening of the door around the axis of the hinge 36. The plate 15a is preferably attached to the door 17 by means of a blind plate 20 having pieces 23* for coperation with screws 22'l passing through the plate 15. The anchor plate 16'1 is ada ted to be secured to the j amb by an suitab e reliable means, but preferably I employ clamping screws 31 passing through the anchor plate into the socket pieces 28a having fixed coperation with a blind plate 27 corresponding generically to the correspondingly numbered arts in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be apparent t at even though the 45 quently for the disconnection of the parts part of the structure without first unlocking the same at `37. The door could not be "jinn'nicd without lifting it from, the jamb,

the blind plates.

but this mmiement would be ,prcventedby the'head or tapered portion of the stud, and 'as inthe otherv form of the invention the auxiliary-'devices cannot `be tampered kwith from the outside of the structure because of As indicated in Fig. 9 any of the` studs such as 34 may be combined with a screw 38 'so as to embody in the same element the features of the interlocking stud for coperation with an oppositely disposed plate 16 and a screw for lockinga plate 15 to the door 17.

In Figs. 10 to 12 I show that form of my invention adapted for application to a door and jamb in a structure already provided with a hinge 39 having a pin 19, that is to say. in any finished structure including a door 17d and a jamb 18d I may attach a plate 15d on the inner face of the door for copcration with an anchor plate 16d fixed to the jamb. Each of these plates is `provided with one or more studs, as 34d or 35d cooperating with a slot 32d or 25d respectively. These parts maybe attached to the respective supports by any suitable means such as screws 38 and do not interfere in any manner with the usual hinges 39 or the operation thereof. The manner of use, however, and functions of these auxiliary locking devices are essentially the same in all forms of the invention.

In the `preferred forms of the invention in which there are employed more than one stud it will be observed that the studs are of different lengths so that the longer studs enter their slots before the shorter studs enter their slots when the connector is going into closed or locked position. Conseth'e shorter studs are first to leave their slots. This fact of construction makes it obvious that if the two plates having interlocking studs and slots are to lbe separated from each other surreptitiously or by relative movement in any other direction than that intended, the disparity in lengths of studs will make it exceedingly more difficult for such separation or opening to be accomplished. I wish topoint out also that the walls or edges of the slots which` coperate directly with the tapered sides of the studs are similarly beveled or tapered so that there is produced a relatively flat and strong bearing contact rather than an edge or biting contact in practice. If the connector for instance is employed in connection with a device or machine in) which there is considerable vibration an edge or biting contact between the wall of the slot andthe stud would cause the stud to be worn in such a manner as to set, up considerable vibration and looseness or rattling.

As predicated above it will be understood that this device may be employed for connecting kindependent parts of knock-down structures or machinery as well as for the purposes otherwise specified.

Iam aware that it is not broadly new to provide vhinge plates with interengaging features in kaddition to the hinge pin and knuckles connected thereby, but so far as I am aware it is new to provide interlocking plates, whether for hinges or otherwise, which have interlocking means preventing positively all relative movement between the two plates except in one predetermined direction. V

I claim: 1. A device of the character set forth comprising two plates adapted for normal movement with respect to each other in a certain direction, one of the plates having an opening, rigid tapering means carried by the other of the plates and coperating with said opening to prevent relative movement between the plates in any other direction than said normal direction.

2. A device of the character set forth comprising a pair of plates, pivot means serving to provide for the movement of one of the plates in the arc of a circle with respect to the other plate, rigid tapering means fixed to one of the plates and overlapping the other plate and serving to prevent relative movement between the plates in any other direction than in the direction stated.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which the rigid tapering means projects perpendicularly from the plate that carries it.

4. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which the rigid means consists of a headed stud projecting from the plate at right angles and coperates with a slot formed in the other plate.

5. The herein described locking device comprising a plurality of plates, means to cause said plates to move apart in a predetermined normal direction, each of said plates having an opening with beveled edges and each of the lates furthermore being provided with a rlgid stud tapered to conform to the edges of the opening therefor, the stud of one plate having interlocking cooperation with an opening of the other plate whereby to prevent relative movement between the plates in any other direction than the normal one intended.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the rigid means comprises a tapered stud having flat sides.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1 in whichfthe rigid means comprises a stud having fiat sides, the stud being flared outward toward its free end, and a plate havin a slot to receive the stud and having tapere or beveled enga 'ng walls for coperation with said ilat si es of the stud.

8J The herein described hinge comprising a pair of plates, a hinge pin connecting them for movement in an arc of a circle, another air of plates connected respectively to the 'rst mentioned plates and extending there from at right angles and connecting means to secure the respective pairs of hinge plates to the door and door jamb, said connecting means includin a secondary plate, a socket piece connecte to one of the hinge plates,

and a screw .passing through the secondary plate into the socket piece.

'9. A device as let forth in claim .1 in

which rigid means arecarried by each of theu plates for coperation with the other plates respectively. j 4.

y10. A device as set forthv in claim 1 in which rigid interlocking means are carried bg both of the plates or coperation with t e otherplatesrespectively, some of the rigid means bein longer than thel others w ereby the ri means enter' the respective plates at di erent times.

y FRANCIS J. DOWLING. 

